A House Divided
by Inkfyre
Summary: Gwen and Violet can't wait to turn thirteen. But some unexpected changes happen on that special date and things may take a turn for the worst. (Very likely to become a two shot)
1. Chapter 1

_** Disclaimer- I do not own Savvy. Though, I would like to have a savvy. **_

June 6. 7:32 pm.

The cold room made everything worse. Shivering and desperate, we huddled in the hallway, grateful for each other's presence. The white walls, narrow corridors, iron doorknobs, and the multitude of beings in white coats made it feel like an asylum.

"I'm cold." remarked my sister, Gwen. She clutched at her thin coat like it was the end of the world. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't be mean, Violet." My dad scolded. "We're all cold." When Gwyneth smirked at me, he added, "That goes for you too."

We had been waiting for at least two hours. I glanced at my watch. Two hours and thirty seven minutes to be exact. Suddenly the door opened and the doctor stepped outside. He carried a clipboard and sighed.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

July 27. 9:02 am.

I still remember that accursed day. The day my mother had died. The day I lost a part of my soul. The day my father….changed.

My father is a lawyer, but we live on a farm. The house is on top of a smallish hill and overlooks the fields and fenced areas. We have sheep and horses on our farm. It's mostly just a hobby my mom picked up, but we do shear our sheep and enter our race horses in competitions. Our horses aren't good enough for Keeneland or the Kentucky Derby though. People think we are strange, and we are different….but not they way people think we are.

We have things called savvies; powers that come when you hit thirteen. My dad's savvy is to influence the opinions of others; that's why he's a lawyer. He says he would never alter the court's mind, but I think he sometimes does it on accident. I just turned thirteen today, along with my twin sister. I really couldn't wish for a certain savvy since I'm pretty okay with myself. My sister, on the other hand, wanted to either talk to animals or have the power to control darkness. Gwen is the weirdest blend of goth and an animal rights activist. She's the reason we have like five dogs running around the place.

"Happy birthday!" I greeted to my sister, now with her bleach white bangs and purple highlights she got to "contrast her black hair."

She rolled her eyes. "_Un_happy birthday to you too."

"C'mon Gwen, be nice for a change. It's supposed to be a happy day." I remarked. "I wonder what Dad's got for us today!"

Gwen smiled. "Okay, for today." Her smile suddenly darkened to a frown when she added. "But tomorrow shall and will be the same."

I gave a fake expression of fear and performed a bow. "Whatever you say, Your Majesty."

Gwen scoffed at my poor English accent and we proceeded to run down the stairs; partly because we couldn't wait...and partly because I wanted to beat my sister down the stairs and vice versa. The mouth-watering aromas of bacon, eggs, french toast, and smoothies greeted us when we entered the kitchen. Our house-keeper, who acted more like a mother than a cook, was busily stirring and tossing and frying.

"Good morning, Miss Anderton." I said politely. She swiveled around; her flowery apron stained and splattered.

Gwen and I each received a gigantic bear hug that nearly crushed my slender frame. "You know not to call me that! It's always Miss Jane for you!" Miss Jane patted me on the head and continued with her work. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." I replied, smiling.

My sister and I left Miss Jane and hurried into the dining room where Dad sat calmly, with his reading glasses on and newspaper in hand. A cup of steaming decaf coffee sat on the table, freshly brewed. There was some half eaten toast on a small plate. He looked up at us and smiled.

"Happy Birthday, guys. Finally a teenager. Huh."

"Thanks, Dad." I said. I gave him a hug and Gwen did too, which is saying something.

"Now I have to deal with teens. Everyone says you're moody, mean, rebellious, and you…..DATE!" he grinned, pretending he was upset.

"Woah!" I put my hands up in remark to the "date" part.

"No way," Gwen shook her head. "I will never date, even if I get paid a million dollars.

"Even if he's goth and weird and creepy like you are?" I asked.

"Shut up. Goths don't date. It's unnatural."

"You're unnatural."

"Break it up, girls. Don't fight." my dad interrupted. "Jane made you guys a cake."

"Really?" My eyes grew wide. Miss Jane rarely baked a whole cake, maybe cupcakes or cookies, but hardly a cake. Yet when she did….they were like heaven. Not to sweet, not to bland. A bit moist and fluffy with the right amount of frosting. And all pieces tasted like corner pieces even when they weren't.

"Uh-huh" Miss Jane suddenly appeared in the doorway. She set out some breakfast, and left the room. She returned with a massive cake. "And here it is."

The cake was a rectangle with a soft blue frosting. The frosting depicted a sunset over the ocean horizon, and represented scuba diving, which was something Gwen and I both loved to do. Above the sun in thin purple frosting, was writing: 'Happy Birthday! Gwen and Violet!'

I broke out into a wide smile. "Thanks Miss Jane. I can never imagine life without you."

"It'd be disastrous." Gwen remarked as well.

"Thanks, girls. But I'd better be going, because my nephew's sick in the hospital." Miss Jane pulled on her sunhat.

"You never told me this!"Dad exclaimed. "I would have given you the day off!"

"You didn't have to bake us this epic cake." I replied.

"Just because I didn't have to, doesn't mean I wouldn't. I'll do anything for you guys, especially after your help in court." And with that, Miss Jane pulled on her shoes, waved goodbye, and left.

"Ok, Miss Jane left a gift." my dad picked up a rainbow colored bag from under the table and placed it on the table.

Gwen and I carefully pulled out the green tissue paper and Gwen drew out a card. It had a lamp on the front with a dark background.

"'Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path' (Psalm 119:105)." was on the inside and we started to read Miss Jane's curly handwriting.

_Dear Gwen and Violet,  
__You are the sweetest pair of girls I've met. You're rough around the edges, that's for sure, but you're way better than some of those teenager girls I've seen on TV. I guess your upbringing has really shaped your character and personality. Your father has done an amazing job, shaping you into the lovely ladies you have become. When your mother died, I nearly drowned in my own tears. Your mother was an angel to everyone around her and to passerby strangers on the street. Can you believe that?! In this age, she was kind to everyone and a discouraging word never reached her ears. Your thirteen now, and you have a long way to go. I don't expect you to follow in you mother's footsteps…I expect you to change the world. Stick together and never abandon each other. It's easy to let a friend go, but it's hard to go back and find them. Imagine letting a balloon go up into a __sky, and then trying to find it a couple of years later. Life isn't easy and your own life can tell you that. But most lives are harder than yours. Don't pity yourself, because there's a whole bunch of starving children in Africa who desperately want your place. Always ask for advice from the right people. They can guide you down the right paths in life. And __remember, every cloud has a silver lining.  
May God bless you,  
Miss Jane_

I wiped tears from my eyes. I had a feeling Miss Jane was telling us this stuff because she didn't know it and went through some pretty bad stuff. My dad would never tell me Miss Jane's background story or the court case he helped her in.

"Wow. That's certainly moving." Dad had been reading over Gwen's shoulder.

"Yeah I know." I agreed. I looked at Gwen. "Are you crying?"

"No. I am not crying. I have allergies." Gwen turned her head. She was definitely crying.

"I have a present for you." Dad smiled.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's intangible." he waved his hands in the air to prove his point.

"That tells me nothing." I frowned.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise me not to die of excitement." he sounded very excited and nervous at the same time.

"Promise." Gwen and I said at once. He sighed and took a deep breath.

"I'm getting remarried."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer- I do not own Savvy. :(**_

"WHAT?!" Gwen had just pulled out her present, an Abyss AB-1266 headphone set, out of the tissue paper. She looked even more surprised than the time she got a black leather Armani jacket for Christmas.

Trying to save Dad from crying or something, I stammered, "That's great Dad, but, um, who is it?"

Dad, knowing what I did, looked a bit more grateful and completely ignored Gwen. "I'm glad you asked. Her name Evelyn Glenn. She has two daughters who are twins just like you, as well as a son two years older."

"She had children?! Has she been married before?" Gwen clearly did not like this idea of a new mom.

"Yes. Her first husband died of pneumonia and her second one she divorced. I did her case in court." Dad replied.

"Divorced?" Gwen and I asked at the same time.

"Don't marry her," Gwen said quickly. "It'll end up in another divorce at the least…..If she's divorced, she must be a horrible person."

"Maybe her husband, the second one, was abusive. In plus, we don't know what she's like yet. What if she's like really nice and you're mean to her? That will be bad." I added, doing my best to be optimistic.

"You will meet her soon. We're going out to eat for dinner. " Dad said happily. He really looked forward to this.

"Great." Gwen sighed sarcastically. "Violet?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any arsenic I can put in this lady's food?"

I did a face palm. Sometimes, my sister is so stubborn. And hot-tempered. Dad raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to confine you to the cellar with no electronics?" he asked. We had a wine cellar under our house which was full of cobwebs and expensive bottles of fermented grape juice.

Gwen rapidly shook her head. Electronics were her life. "I'll be fine. As long as I don't have to hug anyone."

"The girls are around your age and are named Hailey and Gabby. They go to a private school a bit north of here. Evelyn is bringing them to the dinner. She really wants you to meet them."

"Have you told Ray about this?" Gwen asked. Ray was our younger brother, and he really wanted air-bending as his savvy.

"Vaguely. I don't think he understands or even cares that much." Dad shrugged.

"We'll see." Gwen muttered.

Dad looked a bit annoyed at Gwen's behavior. "I'm trying to move on, Gwen. I want a better life for you two and Ray, since I'm never home. And Evelyn is very nice. She's a dog lover too, Gwen."

"Look, Gwen. You have a bit in common. That might work out well." I pointed out.

"She has a dog?" Gwen looked interested. "What breed?"

"Um, I think Pomeranian."

Gwen looked disappointed. "I wish it were a Doberman."

"We had this conversation about Doberman dogs." Dad sighed. Gwen originally wanted a Doberman for a pet, but Dad had recently had a case were one guy had gotten mauled by his friend's Doberman and the guy tried to sue his friend. It went through and the friend was sued a lot of money.

I opened my present, and received Nerf water gun and some nice watercolors for my studio upstairs. I smiled, and hoped Miss Jane's nephew would get better and spare a wondrous woman much pain and grief.

"Anyway," Dad changed the subject. "We're meeting at the Caruso restaurant at 6:30." Caruso was a very prestigious and costly place. Dad must of really liked this Evelyn Glenn to take her there.

I checked my watch for the time. "It's about ten o'clock right now."

"Okay, let's eat breakfast and you have some hours of free time. Check up on your math skills, too. Kids lose a lot of what they learned over the summer."

"Dad, we're _homeschooled. _You make us learn in the summer, anyways." Gwen rolled her eyes.

Dad chuckled. "Alright, but you must dress up for the dinner."

"What? No way. I don't have anything to dress into anyway." Gwen extremely disliked anything near to being _girly. _

"I'll let you borrow something." I offered.

"Problem solved. You can't get out of this, Gwen." Dad smiled wryly.

Gwen scowled. "You can't force me into a dress. Free will."

Dad sighed. "Fine, you win. But I have the power of restricting your electronics."

Gwen bit her lip, torn between her phone and her choice of clothes. She frowned, "I'll dress a bit better, but not a dress. Never."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you serious?"

"Don't rub it in or you'll find cockroaches in your bed tonight."

I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. "Sorry. It's just that…."

"What?" Gwen tilted her head. "Spit it out."

I gave her an amused smiled. "It's just that it'd be funny to se what you dress in tonight if it's better than your usual. You know, I've never seen you in anything else other than ripped t-shirts and faded jeans."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "I'm going upstairs."

When Gwen left, Dad looked at me. "That may not of been the smartest move, Violet. You know what happens when your sister gets upset."

I shrugged. "She'll get over it. I deal with her, she deals with me."

"Anyway, I want you to pick up Ray from the Camberts." Ray went to a sleepover at our neighbor's house. If you can call them neighbors. I guess they _are_ the closest house, but they're some miles away.

"How? I can't drive." I was confused.

"But you can ride a horse and a bike."

"So you'll let me take a horse out in untamed wilderness and ride to the house?"

"It's not untamed, and take a horse that can carry two people."

"Okay," I said. "I guess I'll eat breakfast afterwards.

"Sure."

I walked over to the front door and pulled on my leather riding boots. I walked out to the stable, the sun shining brightly with very little clouds in the sky. I continued my way on a gravel path to the stables. As I passed the wire-fenced pen that held the sheep, one of the dogs barked and padded over to my side.

I patted his head. "Hello, Sherlock." Yes, I _had _named a Husky after the world's greatest consultant detective. I was a bit geeky like that. Sherlock barked again and nudged my hand.

"Sorry, no treats today. Today is a special day." We made it to the stables, and I could hear the brays and whinnies of the few equines inside. I heaved the wooden door open. My boots crunched on some hay and a few sparrows flitted in and out. I made it to the first stable on the left and opened it up. I saddled up the black stallion, named Zephyr, and said a little goodbye to Sherlock. I led the horse outside and mounted it. I started my horse up and rode out of our estate. I glanced back at our lavish abode and shook my head.

It may have been my savvy or a gut-feeling, but I knew, in my heart, and after 6:30 this evening, things would never be the same.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer- I do not own Savvy. **_

**A/N- Wow it's certainly been like forever! I know I've neglected all my stories, but I've been pretty busy. But that's not that good of an excuse really. **

It was a short trip to the Camberts. I liked to look at the quiet scenery. The whistling of the trees and the harmony of the wild grass bending to the wind's will were masterpieces in themselves. In these moments, with just me and Mother Nature, I really appreciated my circumstances. To live somewhere without fear, to live somewhere with nothing but peace, some people had never tasted, never could even grasp the extent of my comfortable life.

The Camberts lived in this rustic brick house with a lot with many fruit trees. In the late spring, my family came over to pick lots of ripe fruit for our fridge, hopefully before the birds got to them. The Camberts had four kids, all boys. Their names were Joseph, Corey, Micah, and Daniel. I couldn't even imagine another sibling, much less caring for a group of sugar-high, impish, rowdy preteens. When I arrived, I saw Ray out in the front yard, water gun in hand, in the midst of a watery crossfire. His clothes were drenched down to his socks, the scars from the raging onslaught of liquid ammo.

Buckets filled with ice water were placed randomly among the grass. You could refill, but risk getting blasted with freezing water from behind. It sort of resembled the Hunger Games, but for kids.

When Ray saw me, his face fell, as if the water had washed it away. "Aw, I don't want to go home now. I-" In mid sentence, Joseph, the oldest Cambert kid, aimed at Ray and fired, splashing Ray right in the face. I couldn't resist a chuckle at Ray's astonished expression.

"Gotcha!" Joseph screamed.

"No fair, I was talking to my sister!" Ray wiped his face off with his sleeve. "I was going to wish her happy birthday!"

"You didn't say time out!"

"Fine! Time out!"

"Ok, Ray, it's time to come back." I said, smiling.

"No!" He protested, clutching at his water gun.

"Oh ok, looks like you won't be able to eat some cake."

"Cake?" At the word, all five kids perked up with hopeful eyes, like mentioning a treat to a dog. "Ok. I'm coming!" He clambered up on Zephyr, water dripping down the horse's flank.

"Hey mom!" called Joseph. "Can we have some cake?"

Mrs. Cambert smiled and sighed. "No, sweetie, not today. Maybe tomorrow I'll make you guys something sweet." With that, all the Cambert kids cheered, victory was secured.

We rode back to the house, and we talked a little about Ray's fun time with at the neighbors.

"Oh and Corey tried to tell a joke, but he couldn't stop laughing and milk came out of his nose!" Ray started laughing and almost fell of the horse.

"Woah there, Ray, try not to hurt yourself today." I replied jokingly.

When we got back, I led Zephyr back to his stable and patted Sherlock on the head again. Ray ran back into the house, his sneakers squeaking all the way there.

"Dad!" Ray spotted him and leaped to hug him.

"Come here, buddy, oh! You're all wet." Dad hugged Ray anyways. "You better get dressed, we're going out to dinner tonight."

Ray kicked off his sneakers and bounded upstairs, a trail of water droplets following closely behind.

"Wow, how much sugar did he have?" Gwen remarked, sitting on the porch steps. "It looks like he snorted an entire bag."

I rolled my eyes, but still, I let out a little laugh. Gwen had changed her clothes while I was gone. Her dyed hair was neatly combed and pushed out of her eyesight, revealing beautiful deep irises that saw the world through a whole different lens than I did. Gwen had taken out some of her piercings, which had given her a steely hard-edged look to her. Gone was the ratty band t-shirt, and in its place was a silky blue blouse with twirls of roses and brambles. She had on simple black leggings with no rips or tears.

"You look pretty in that outfit. It gives you a different look, and that's not bad." I observed thoughtfully, while sitting next to her.

Gwen smirked, "That's exactly what Dad says. God, I swear you guys are different reincarnations of each other." She then turned her head away, and even though I couldn't see her face, I knew that my compliment had struck bull's-eye. Gwen acted like a steel trap. Taunt it and you suffer. But really, she was the animal caught inside it. Caught inside the trap of the social norm. People don't know that even though Gwen is goth, other goths, other social outcasts still can shun her. Her own kind can criticize her appearance, scoff at her taste in music. Gwen is caught somewhere in between, always shifting, always wanting to change. That's why she's a pessimist, because she's seen every kind of person in their ugliest state. She's experienced the same insults from every cliché. All beatings are the same, no matter if the bully has a different face.

As a twin, I feel helpless sometimes when Gwen comes to me in tears, in the silence of my bedroom, in the dark of the starry night. It's like looking at yourself, your broken spirit, and not knowing how to put the life back into it. I want to protect her, be the shield with arms outstretched, protecting her from the volley of sharpened insults. Sometimes I feel anger, a boiling, bursting, drowning rage at the injustice that persecutes Gwen with wide claws and limitless energy. I want to make them feel the pain, the pain that comes from shattering on the inside, as the glass shards pierce your heart and cut your bones into a million pieces without ever leaving a single mark on your skin. I want to ruin them, to take an eye for an eye. Other times, I feel indifferent. I'm the cold Mirror on the Wall, saying that Gwen is blind to reality and she needs a different lens to see it properly. I push her away, but a few hours later I feel so shameful and guilty, as if I were the one nearer to breaking.

"I can't wait to meet her, but also, I don't want to meet her." Gwen said, breaking the silence. I didn't know how long I'd been sitting there, lost in thought, so I hoped it wasn't long enough to be embarrassing.

"Who? Evelyn?"

"No, I can't wait to meet Dora the Explorer. Of course it's Evelyn you idiot." She replied, snarkily, then said softer. "I just don't know what to expect. With these clothes on, I feel like I'm not showing who I really am. Like they'll think I'm like you with this fancy shirt thing, but I'm not. This is just so nerve-wracking."

"Nerve-wracking? I didn't know someone could faze the Shadow Queen."

"Shadow Queen?" She laughed, "Is that your name for me?"

I shrugged. "I made it up on the spot, stop laughing at me, ok? I couldn't think of anything. I just thought, well, like you wear black, so that's the shadow, and um, well, you're a drama queen sometimes so I just put them together."

"Well," Gwen replied, "I can't deny any of that."

The porch door rattled as it was opened. Ray skipped through it, finally dressed in something dry and clean. "Hey it's time for lunch!" He called. Once he knew we had heard him, he skipped back into the house.

We looked at each other and both smiled, feeling Ray's infectious joy hanging in the air, in all of its golden brilliance.

"Well, let's go get something to eat," Gwen said, and I followed her into the house, both of us feeling a little bit calmer.


End file.
